Poppy cascades adorn buildings across Newark and Sherwood, by Historic Newark in Bloom at Newark Parish Church and 1st Coddington Scouts Group in Coddington, in support of the Royal British Legion and Remembrance Day commemorations

Communities are once again coming together in a show of support for our armed forces by creating beautiful poppy displays around our district.

The red poppy has been adopted as a symbol of both Remembrance and hope for a peaceful future and are often worn as a show of support for the Armed Forces community thanks to their connection with the Royal British Legion.

In Newark, volunteers have been hard at work sewing hundreds of newly knitted and crocheted flowers onto netting, which will adorn the railings surrounding the war memorial at Newark Parish Church.

Created by Historic Newark in Bloom, with the help of dozens of dedicated crafters, the ‘cascade’ was first displayed last year with the hope that it would continue to grow year on year.

Now, in its second year, over 1,000 of the iconic red flowers have been hand crafted to fill the display, with a scattering of purple flowers to represent animals lost in conflict.

Lead organiser, Kay Bellhouse, said: “Everyone loved the display when we first put it up last year, we had so many lovely comments.

“We have had bagfuls and bagfuls of the poppies dropped off for us by groups and individuals who took it upon themselves to help out, and they are gratefully received.

“We will keep building on it and hope to see it grow and become bigger and better in years to come.

“As long as there is a Remembrance Day, we will keep on doing it.”

The cascade will be placed on display on Thursday, November 7, where people will be able to enjoy the lovingly made flowers ahead of the Remembrance Sunday service on November 10.

A chain of knitted poppies will also stretch along the railings on either side of the banner, fully surrounding the war memorial.

After the period of Remembrance has ended the display will be shown in Newark Town Hall.

In nearby Coddington, the 1st Coddington Scout Group is showing their support with a poppy display of their own.

Their display was first created in 2021 by collecting the bottoms of plastic bottles, which were then hand painted by the Beavers groups to make poppies.

Thanks to a team effort by the whole scout group, with children as young as four, along with parents, helping to attach around 800 poppies to netting and complete the display across the entire length of the village hall’s front railing.

Group lead volunteer, Steve Adshead, said: “I am sure you will agree it looks sensational.”